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Sovscope 70 - 70mm Films in USSR

Thank you for inserting the information from Russia on your Website. I am very glad, that I have brought even in small part to your research of 70mm cinema.

On yours site I have found a lot of interesting information for myself. For the first time I have found out that, at last, after a very long break, in global cinematograph the motions to return to shooting on 70mm of the film-chamber have appeared. Let though and partially, but that fact, that for a short interval of time many authors of cinema again started to use 70mm format at shootings, in such films as "The New World", "The Prestige", "Sunshine", "The International", "The Dark Knight", "The Tree of Life", "Inception", "Shutter Island", "The Young Black Stallion", "Transformers-2". It speaks that the format of 70mm can again return in complete volume. I consider, that shooting on 70mm a negative and demonstration of such films at cinemas in 70mm it some kind of HI-END in the world cinematograph. On my deep belief, use of digital chambers can spoil cinematograph. You on your site make great job for preservation fundamental principles of cinematograph.

Unfortunately, I do not have any posters form Russian70mm films. I was never engaged in a collecting. As to DVD of the films, their covers in our country never reveals if the films were photographed of exhibited in 70mm. As I already explained in a pervious mail, "in 70mm presentation" was only ever advertised as «the large format». If the poster in the cinema, or in the film's credits, ever said anything, it was only mentioned like «wide-frame film», which meant it was presented in 70mm. As far as I have understood from your website, it was always mentioned if a film was presented in 70mm, and the posters carried a “70mm” logo.

Soviet films demonstrated in the USSR in 70mm format

Legendary Russian Cameraman Igor Chernykh in 1977 for the first time in Soviet Union durign filming "Yemelyan Pugachyov", he converted a 70-millimeter hand-held camera KSSHR to be used with with a stabilising system like Steadicam. This system was his own invention.

I am to send to you the list of the Soviet films, demonstrated in 70 mm format in the period from 1961 till 1990. Unfortunately, I have not the information, what from these films were shot on 70mm negative, and what are blow-up in 70mm. Such information may be received only in the main film-storehouse of Russia - Gosfilmofond. Very much I ask you to confirm reception of this letter.

I have good news for your Website. I, at last, managed to get the list of the Soviet films which have really been shot on a 70 mm negative film. To me in hands the catalogue of the Soviet films stored in the Gosfilmofond archive has got. In my last letters I have already wrote to you, that Gosfilmofond - the state film-storehouse and in it there are negatives and working materials of the films which have been shot during the Soviet period are stored. To my fortunately, in the catalogue opposite to names of films real formats of the film have been also specified. After my additional double checks, it was not the big work to make the separate list on truly 70-millimetric films.

At once I want to warn, that I have included in this list only full-length fiction films. The matter is that during the Soviet period on 70 mm it has been shot a lot of documentary and short-length films, and also film-ballets and the film-operas which completely have been shot on a stage of theatre and not being independent pieces of screen. For me these categories of films never interested, therefore I did not begin to include them in the list.

Also, recommend you to address on studio "Mosfilm". They have also storehouse of films, shot directly at their studio (and such films are more than half from my list of the Soviet 70 mm of films). Write tothem. Or to the chief of an international department and film distributionMr. Sergei N.Simagin

It is the fullest list of the fiction, full-length Soviet films which have been shot on 70 mm a negative. There were only questions on two films. Film Krasnaya palatka \The Red Tent (1969) - in Gosfilmofond is stored only a positive reference copy of this film in a format 1.37:1, printed in laboratory Technicolor. The negative one there is not present. In storehouse of studio Mosfilm the same - a positive rolling copy and also in a format 1.37:1. The matter is that this film was joint Soviet-Italian production and the most part of money for its setting was brought by the Italian producer. Quite probably, that under the contract, negative materials were sent to them. But there is a question, why in spite of the fact that in Soviet Union this film was distributed as 70 mm, the reference copy has been printed in 35 mm in a format 1.37:1.

Some posters for the Soviet films which have been shot on a negative of 70 mm

There is a big doubt, that this film was shot in 70 mm. In fact in the western distribution it was shown in 35 mm. Quite probably, that in this case it is a question about blow-uping in 70 mm. To clear out this question to the end it was not possible. The known Russian cameraman Levan Paatashvili who has shot such 70-millimetric films as "Beg" \"The Flight" and "Romans o vlyublyonnykh" \"Romance for Lovers", in his book wrote, that he has been invited to shot this picture and that it was planned to shot it in 70mm. He even has had time to make some test shootings in 70mm. But he was discharged from a picture shooting and film was shot by other operator.

Here the string of history breaks. I managed in one technical journal to find only one photo from shootings this film where in the staff the movie camera has got. And it was movie camera Mitchell. Them then (in 60th years) have much bought for shootings the Soviet films. But only for 35mm. All 70-millimetric films were shot exclusively on the Soviet movie cameras and Soviet film Svema. As far as we know, movie camera Mitchell for shooting 70-millimetric film was used only once on French film "Play Time".

Almost same not clear situation with the film Szerelmi álmok - Liszt \The Loves of Liszt (1970) which is also joint statement (with Hungary) and which is stored in Gosfilmofond in a format of 35 mm (2.35:1). Moreover! This film did not demonstrated in Soviet Union in a format of 70 mm! in spite of the fact that film was joint Soviet-Hungarian.

The part from these films was shot on 35 mm (anamorph, 2.35:1) and then blown up to 70mm for distribution, and the part from these films was shot on system super 35 and also blown up to 70mm.

Here it would be desirable to give a short historical information. The matter is that officially it is considered, that shootings on system super 35 for the first time have been tested by the American film studios somewhere in 1982. However, it mismatches the validity. For the first time such system of shootings has appeared in the Soviet cinema in 1974 and has been developed by state film-photo institute NIKFI (by the way, the same institute has developed also system Stereo 70 for shootings 3D-stereokino on a negative of 70 mm). The system super 35 in the Soviet cinema was called as UFF (Universal Format of Frame), and in 1982 already American studios have thought up for it the commercial name “ super 35 ”. One of the first Soviet films, on system UFF\super 35, the picture of great Russian director Sergey Bondarchuk Oni srazhalis za rodinu \They Fought for Their Country (1975) became shot. This picture has distributed in a format of 70 mm (2.20:1) and 35 mm (2.35:1). And only in 90th years on TV and on DVD this film began to be shown in the initial format 1.37:1 without cutting the frame.

So! ATTENTION !!! For the first time the list of the Soviet films which have been shot on a negative of 70mm is herewith published:

The Wiki was edited by me and the guy who sent you the last list - Dmitry Silvanov. He actually went to the people who worked in the Russian State film archive, and painstakingly confirmed with them, what kind of negatives they have in storage, against published records which he found.

The Mosfilm produced titles were confirmed by Anatoly Petritsky, the DOP of "War and Peace", who is now presides over Mosfilm's restoration and preservation program.

Since no-one in Russia today seems to have any interest in 70mm technology and production, we decided to publish the list in Wikipedia, just to preserve it.

1969 Reflections on Britanka Blue Ice Prince Igor Director King of the Mountains and all Others King of the Arena A Postal Romance Tchaikovsky A Plot for a Short Story (The loves of Tchekhov)

1970 The Plight Ljubov Yarovaya (Ljubov of the Spring) Sea in Fire The Downfall of the Empire Chermen (Chermen the Hero)

1971 Zakhar Berkut Stars Never Go Off The Young Ones People on the Nile (co-production with Misr film, Egypt) Goya, or the Stark Way of Knowlegde (co-production with DEFA, DDR), the production used Sovscope 70 cameras for the scenes filmed in USSR The Russian Field Sister of a Musician The Price of Fast Seconds

1972 White Bird with Black Markings The Courtesy Visit Always Alert The Hot Snow The Racers The Girl from Siberia Only You

Panoramic Cinema

Now about panoramic cinema. As the majority of the Soviet panoramic films were documentary (and I am not so interested documentary and animation cinema), I have no full information on panoramic films. I can only tell, what exactly live-action full-length panoramic films were shot not so many. It is the following films:

In my opinion, it is all. All other films were documentary. It is due the fact that the panoramic cinema rather quickly has come 70mm. Panoramic cinema have considered unprofitable and even a panoramic movie theater a «Mir» at the centre of Moscow have altered under 70mm films. On change to usual panoramic cinema show «Circular Film-Panorama» (360 degrees) has come. Here is a photo inside this cinema

In the USSR the technology of a circular film-panorama was introduced in 1959. The films (documentary, landscape, duration 20 minutes) were shot up to 1993. This cinema in Moscow works till now. Here is it website

All these films are available in Gosfilmofond. And, not only positive copies, but also negatives. Besides the Soviet and Russian films, in Gosfilmofond the copies of foreign films are also stored which were demonstrated in USSR. I think that you need personally to contact to the representatives of Gosfilmofond, as you are the owner of website and have the direct relation to organization of film-festivals of 70 mm films. Here is their e-mail for communication